5 WORKPLACE FEARS AND HOW TO OVERCOME IT

The workplace is where skills, expertise and persona comes to play. A place where egos and capabilities merge with the goal of accomplishment and success. It is by no surprise that our biggest fears stem from tasks at our various workplaces. It is often said that we often give power to our fears if we fail to act on them, thus, we have compiled a list of the top workplace fears and how to overcome them.

 PRESENTATIONS

Standing in front of board members, colleagues and potential investors is daunting to begin with, and to impress with a presentation is the thing of nightmares. This is the most common fear in the workplace.

SOLUTION: ensure that your information for the presentation is up to date as this will inspire confidence. Always remember that your skills and abilities landed you that job and you are more than capable to deliver.

COLD CALLING

Cold calling feels like a constant pitch to strangers. No one likes to be rudely spoken to and ignored, so it is no doubt that people hate and fear this task.

SOLUTION: change your perspective on cold calling – view it as having a conversation with a new client whilst bearing in mind that they could be reluctant to go further than a hello.

ASKING FOR A RAISE

Things often get awkward and a tad uncomfortable when finances are on discussion. Asking for a raise from your boss raises a lot of fears.

SOLUTION: prepare a summary of your accomplishments in the last year or months as this will help you feel equipped and ready. Finally bear in mind that you deserve that raise and communicate that as professionally and calm as you can.

JOB INSTABILITY

The business climate is as unsteady as they come and job loss in some cases are inevitable. Fear of job loss can be crippling and actually lead to a decline in concentration and effort.

SOLUTION: bear in mind that as long as you continue to produce great work and willing to improve as time goes by, all should be well. Also, it will be a great advantage to have more than one stream of income, this will enable you to feel a bit more secure and put your mind at rest.

REPORTING MISCONDUCT

Due to colleague loyalty and office politics, many find it difficult to report colleague misconducts to the HR department. Due to fear of backlash, many fail to report serious workplace offences.

SOLUTION: The HR department has been setup to protect the staff, so make the most of it if you find yourself in an appropriate solution.